真相的味道

Old Wang recently made a fortune. Not from demolition, and not from winning the lottery, but from... eating dog meat.

This is how it went. A wealthy woman lived in the neighboring community and kept a valuable pet dog named "Wangcai." It was said to be a purebred Labrador, of noble lineage and worth a fortune. The wealthy woman treated "Wangcai" like her own son, feeding it well every day, and often taking it to the pet store for SPA treatments.

A few days ago, "Wangcai" got lost. The wealthy woman was frantic and offered a reward of 50,000 to find the dog. Fifty thousand! For someone like Old Wang, who lived by scavenging, it was an astronomical figure.

Old Wang was tempted. He got up early and worked late every day, looking for traces of "Wangcai" in the community. But, "Wangcai" seemed to have evaporated into thin air and couldn't be found.

A few days later, Old Wang found a missing dog notice in the trash. He carefully looked at the photo and suddenly remembered that a few days ago, he seemed to have seen a dog that looked a lot like "Wangcai" in a small restaurant in the suburbs.

He rushed to the restaurant and inquired about the whereabouts of "Wangcai". The restaurant owner stammered, and couldn't explain clearly. Old Wang's heart sank, and he knew things weren't good.

He pleaded and cajoled, and finally got the truth from the owner's wife. "Wangcai" was caught by the people at the restaurant, and then... was slaughtered and stewed into a fragrant dog meat hot pot.

Old Wang was trembling with anger. He thought, that's 50,000! You just ate it like that?

He found the wealthy woman and told her what happened. After hearing this, the wealthy woman collapsed on the spot, crying her heart out.

Old Wang comforted the wealthy woman a few times, and then put forward a "bold" idea.

"Wealthy woman, how about this, I'll help you find the people who ate the dog meat, and then... make them pay." Old Wang rubbed his hands and said cautiously.

The wealthy woman was stunned for a moment, and then understood what Old Wang meant. She wiped away her tears and nodded.

So, Old Wang began his "hunt for the culprit." He hung out in the restaurant every day, getting close to the diners and inquiring who had eaten the dog meat hot pot.

No pain, no gain. After some effort, Old Wang finally found a few people who had eaten the dog meat hot pot.

He brought these people to the wealthy woman and asked them to pay compensation. At first, those people were unwilling, but under the wealthy woman's coercion and enticement, they finally obediently paid the money.

In this way, Old Wang helped the wealthy woman "recover" a "huge sum of money." Although it wasn't as much as 50,000, it was still several tens of thousands.

The wealthy woman was very grateful to Old Wang and gave him a "hardship fee." Old Wang declined a few times, but finally accepted it.

Holding the money, Old Wang was overjoyed. He thought, this "Wangcai" is really his lucky star!

He used the money to buy new clothes, eat a big meal, and bought some nutritional products for his elderly mother. He felt that he was finally living a good life.

That night, Old Wang had a dream. He dreamed that "Wangcai" was standing in front of him, wagging its tail and smiling at him.

"Thank you, Old Wang." "Wangcai" said, "You made me understand that being eaten is also a value."

Old Wang woke up, covered in sweat. He felt that the dream was strange, but he couldn't say where it was strange.

The next day, Old Wang went to the farmer's market to buy vegetables and passed by a dog meat shop. He saw a dog hanging on a rack, being slaughtered.

The dog's eyes were filled with fear and despair.

Old Wang suddenly felt nauseous. He thought of "Wangcai", of the money he "recovered", and of his current "good life."

He turned and left the farmer's market without saying a word.

That night, Old Wang lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He felt that his conscience was being condemned.

He wondered if he had done something wrong. For the sake of money, he actually helped the wealthy woman to extort money, and even indirectly led to the slaughter of more dogs.

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He finally decided to donate all the money to protect stray animals.

The next day, Old Wang donated all the money to the animal protection organization. He felt much lighter in his heart.

That night, Old Wang had another dream. He dreamed that "Wangcai" was standing in front of him again, but this time, it didn't wag its tail, and it didn't smile.

"Old Wang, you disappointed me." "Wangcai" said, "Do you think you can atone for your sins by donating money? You're wrong. You can never wash off the smell of dog meat on you."

Old Wang woke up with a start and found himself lying on the table in the dog meat hot pot restaurant, surrounded by diners.

They raised their chopsticks and reached out to him.

Old Wang let out a desperate scream.

At this moment, he realized that the "taste of truth" was so... fragrant.